Consecrated Life
102. A new baptism. The Constitutions tell us that we are here in this congregation first to be good and holy religious and then to be missionaries. Think about this. We are in congregations that are both religious and missionary. What does consecrated life in the religious state mean? It means a state of perfection – not that we are perfect when we embrace this life but because we are strive for perfection continually and with total commitment. It is a new baptism, a burnt-offering superior to all other sacrifices. In other sacrifices we offer the Lord external things but in religious life we give Him ourselves. It is as it were a continuing, slow, low-grade martyrdom through which we sacrifice our property, our comfort and our will.
All Christians are called to perfection; the Lord has said, “Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5,48). The call to holiness consists principally of love of God and love of our neighbor. For consecrated individuals striving for perfection involves not just observing the commandments but following the evangelical counsels as best we can with God’s grace.
103. In freedom. All religious congregations make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. St. Thomas tells us that with these vows the will remains strong, one wins greater merit and one gives to God not just what one does but one’s freedom as well. St. Anselm adds that through the vows one offers the Lord not just the use of a thing but ownership as well, not just the fruit but the tree too. The vows do not eliminate our freedom rather they increase it. They make us masters of ourselves and less dominated by passion. In the words of St. Augustine, “Oh happy obligation that forces us to do what is better.”
All congregations renew their vows annually. Why? To increase fervor, keep their memory alive and reinforce the determination to observe them. Do not let your vows intimidate you. We are as peaceful now as we were before – no even more peaceful. Besides being a second baptism the vows represent the beginning of a new life of perfection and holiness. This total sacrifice of our souls and bodies is very pleasing to the Lord. He will shower us with grace; we will feel stronger, more courageous and more at peace. We must abandon ourselves entirely to Him and submit totally to His will. Let Him treat us as He will and we will soon achieve genuine holiness. Never forget that our religious vocation is not a contract but a vocation. The Lord does not like contracts. He is always generous. He has given us our vocation and He will not take it away. We may change but He never does. All we need do is what we promised. We have given ourselves to the Lord – we must look back whatever the cost.
104. For mission. Your vows are the vows of missionaries. When you make or renew these vows think of the missions, profess your thirst for zeal and the desire to work in evangelisation. We should make a vow to serve the missions even at the cost of our lives. We would be happy to die in harness. When you make or renew your vows think seriously what they imply. The Lord will grant you your desires.
Evangelical Poverty[1]
105. “I have given you an example” (John 13, 15). The life of Jesus reflected all the virtues but there is one in particular that He seemed to favor and of which He wanted to be our model: poverty. St. Paul tells us as much: “Though he was rich for your sake he became poor so that through his poverty you might be enriched” (II Corinthians 8,9). Therefore He was born poor, lived poor and died in utter poverty on the cross. Jesus was born poor by His own choice; He chose a poor woman, Mary, to be His mother and a man who earned his living through manual labor to be His father and guardian: St. Joseph. During His public life he could affirm: “The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head” (Matthew 8, 20). The very first of the beatitudes is “Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of God!” (Luke 6,20). For His burial he needed a borrowed sheet and a borrowed tomb.
The Lord’s teaching and example are the most powerful incentive to make us respect, love and practice poverty. This is all the more reason why we should imitate the Lord as closely as possible. Following His example all the saints loved and lived poverty. St. Francis of Assisi called it “his mistress.”
106. The life of virtues. All other virtues in one way or another derive life from poverty. If we examine each virtue we will discover that it takes root and flourishes where there is a love of poverty. Can faith exist without poverty? How can we claim to have faith if we know Jesus said “Blessed are the poor” and still think of wealth as a blessing and the rich as happy people. Unfortunately at times we too favor the rich over the poor. If we have faith we must think, speak and act according to this principle: “Blessed are the poor!”
We hope for heaven and are little concerned with the things of this world. The sacred author tells us: Blessed is the man who has not run after riches nor has he placed his hope in wealth and treasure! Who is this man? We will call him blessed (Cf. Sirach 31,8-9). It is so very easy to trust in wealth. We must resist this temptation and say over and over: “I place my hope in You, O Lord.”
Love of God cannot exist without poverty of spirit. If we are to love God with all our heart we must not have other attachments especially to things – otherwise our heart will be divided. People sacrifice their possessions and embrace voluntary poverty to free their heart to love God and give themselves totally to Him. If we hope to accomplish good for those among whom we work our hearts cannot be attached to the things of this world. Speaking of holiness St. Bernard said we must be pools and not channels. But on the subject of poverty I would say that we must be channels and not pools. Without poverty of spirit we can be neither humble nor chaste. Poverty protects missionary zeal. St. Bernard quotes the Lord when speaking about detachment: “And I, if I be lifted up will draw all things to me” (John 12,32). It follows that our success in proclaiming the Gospel will be determined by our poverty – at least our poverty in spirit.
107. With the strength of vows. The Lord’s first counsel to the rich young man is: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor” (Matthew 19,21). All religious congregations put poverty before all else because according to St. Thomas, “voluntary poverty is the first step on the road to perfection.” St. Ignatius Loyola defines poverty as a “wall of defense for religious orders.”
A religious congregation will live and thrive to the extent that it maintains the spirit of poverty. When a community abandons this principle its spirit begins to decline. The same can be said about individual community members: they will make progress on the path of perfection to the extent that they are faithful to the poverty they have professed. This is something that must be taken seriously. When this vow is neglected a community is nearing its end. If poverty is observed according to the dictates of the Constitutions the community will be blessed and will forge ahead.
Essentially the vow of poverty consists in the renunciation of the right to use or dispose at will of temporal possessions without the legitimate superior’s permission. This is the simple vow that we and all other modern congregations profess. The solemn vow, on the other hand, involves radical renunciation of any kind of ownership of material possessions. This is the major difference between a simple and a solemn vow of poverty. Why do we profess the simple vow? Because essentially poverty does not consist in sacrificing all possessions but in a renunciation of the right to dispose at will– without the superior’s permission - of community or personal property. We make this renunciation out of love for the Lord; this is the specific reason we make this vow. The words “Blessed are the poor” are addressed to all. The psalmist tells us: “Do not attach you heart to wealth, even abundant wealth” (Psalm 61, 11).
108. What is necessary as the poor. St. Bernard tells us: “It is not poverty in itself that is virtuous but rather the love of poverty.” A poor man can be without resources but that by no way means he has the virtue of poverty. Consecrated persons must avoid not just those things that are contrary to the vow but must be committed to observing perfect poverty.
What does perfect poverty require? Eliminate everything vain or superfluous. Nothing vain or superfluous should be found among consecrated persons. Therefore we must eschew extraordinary clothes, dwellings, furniture, food or anything else. St. Paul writes “When we have something to eat or wear we should be satisfied” (I Timothy 6,8). We have made a vow of poverty and should therefore be satisfied with what a poor man would think necessary.
If we are to grow in the virtue of poverty we must from time to time bear patiently and cheerfully with the lack of what is necessary. It is so very easy to make this vow and then never feel any of its effects. We would call that the vow to have everything that is necessary. If there is something we want and do not have – this is poverty. It is precisely not having everything we might want that makes us practice poverty. It is a good thing if I lack what is necessary from time to time. With this spirit we will not look for exceptions in the community. I do not like exceptions. True, what is necessary is necessary – but never forget the Lord provides what poor people need and not what the rich require. If we are not used to deprivation we will never be good missionaries.
Do not rely on the fact that many support the Congregation. Sometimes there are not enough benefactors. Never forget that our benefactors make sacrifices to support us. We must not just pray for them; we must meet their sacrifices with sacrifices of our own. We must be satisfied with what is absolutely necessary and bear with occasional deprivation. Benefactors provide us with what is necessary. When I read the list of offerings in the periodical I am led to reflect on their significance. I stop to pray for these people some of whom are dead. Those offerings are the result of tears and blood. Can we not make a similar sacrifice?
The virtue of poverty involves total detachment from the necessary and convenient things we may use. This is the essence of poverty of spirit. We must treasure this detachment of the heart. Remember every attachment, even the most trivial, can stunt our growth. Practice detachment from all individuals and all things. It does not really matter if a bird is tied with a rope or a thread in neither case can he fly. Avoid even slight attachments to people or things. If there is such a thread of attachment let us present it to the Heart of Jesus and it will become a golden thread – the thread of renunciation. We will accomplish good in the missions to the extent that we are detached from people and things. Sometimes we go off to the missions dreaming of martyrdom and then lose our way because of a piece of furniture. We can create a totally false idea of what we really need. Attachments will destroy our peace of mind and even lead us to acts of disobedience. This is why I insist that we not be attached to anything no matter how trivial; otherwise when we are transferred to a new mission we end up taking everything from our former assignment. If we have this spirit of detachment in our community the Lord will bless us.
109. Take care of everything. A spirit of poverty involves taking care of everything – treating things with care and respect. Unfortunately we are often very careful with out own things and careless with community property – almost as if community property belonged to no one and could be neglected or used carelessly. This is unjust. If it is wrong to mistreat our own property this is even more the case with things that belong to the whole community. This is not just a disregard for poverty - it is unjust. Unfortunately this is something we seldom think of – hence my insistence on this point.
A spirit of poverty involves working together lest we ruin or waste what we use – we must never forget that we live on the charity of others. It is a pleasure to see someone take an interest in the community’s possessions: closing doors, closing windows, putting things back in their proper place, turning off the lights, etc. I am not telling you to interfere in things that do not concern you but do not ruin anything, handle everything with care, do not use more than you need, etc. We must make this spirit our own: handle everything with care. I still have the watch I had a seminarian…
Poverty is delicate virtue and it is very easy to transgress. Even if we have more than enough of something we should not use more than is appropriate. We must be convinced that everything belongs to God. Begin now to cultivate this sensitivity, this concern for how we use things – otherwise you will waste our resources in the missions. We must be committed to each other – this is a spirit of unity, a family spirit. All of us must be involved and committed to the good of the Congregation. This is how we must act if we want God to help us now and in the future. We must not sit idly by waiting for Providence to come to our aid: the Lord will not always work miracles.
110. Work like poor men. We have spoken about poverty as affective and effective detachment from temporal possessions. Poverty involves another element - work: we must work like poor men. Missionaries must do manual labor. Doing this labor saves the community money. Making an effort to earn money for the community is also part of poverty. We must be active members of the community: this is not a college where we pay tuition but rather a family to which we all contribute. If we have some talent we can exploit we should be happy, willing and feel obliged to use it for the benefit of the community.
More than any other consecrated person missionaries should have a spirit of detachment and radical poverty.
Chastity for the Kingdom[2]
111. Be chaste. Holy Scripture teaches us the excellence of this virtue. The Redeemer chose to be born of a virgin mother. He especially loved the apostle John because he was pure, chaste, a virgin. At His death he entrusted Our Lady to John’s care – he gave a Virgin to a virgin.
The word “chastity” is ordinarily derived from “castigo” [to punish]. St. Thomas explains this – through reason the chaste punish concupiscence. As consecrated persons we live virginal chastity. This consists in our firm, inner determination to exclude anything contrary to virginal integrity. Father G. Semeria remarks appropriately that virginal chastity is not a prerogative of the body but rather of the spirit. Similarly St. Augustine tells us: “Who can doubt that chastity, as a virtue, resides in the spirit. It will not fail if we remain determined in our heart and our will.”
Virginal chastity is absolutely necessary for consecrated men and women. Missionaries are exposed to the gravest dangers and must therefore be strong in this virtue. To accomplish good among people you must be seen as somehow “supernatural” beings detached from this world: “You are not of this world” (John 15,19). Chastity will make you look like this and your presence alone will attract others. If you are chaste, always chaste, I am certain you will be successful. The Lord communicates Himself to the pure of heart and you will make miracles. I would address Paul’s words to Timothy to each of you: “Keep yourself pure” (I Timothy 5,22). How can you pour a bottle of wine into a bottle filled with water? You pour out the water first and then pour in the wine. Well – we must empty our hearts of all worldly affections and fill them with the love of God. I would rather that you be more attracted by the beauty of the virtue than repelled by the ugliness of the vice. Be chaste!
112. In view of the priesthood. Inspired by the Holy Spirit the Catholic Church has since apostolic times and willed that its priests be chaste. A priest needs all virtues but this one in particular. I would urge all of you hoping to become priests to think seriously about the necessity of this virtue. Remember, one of the first signs of a vocation is chastity. Certain and solid chastity is absolutely necessary. Strive for purity of life whatever the cost. Examine yourselves closely. Are you ready to lead a life of perfect chastity and to make whatever internal or external sacrifices required to preserve this chastity? If with the help of God you feel the strength and the desire to do this, take courage and do not be afraid. The God who is your hope will also be your strength.
113. Virtue of the heart. St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians: “You know the norms we have given you from the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, that you achieve holiness: that you abstain from all uncleanness and that your possess your body in holiness and honor” (I Thessalonians 4,1-4). The Apostle repeats this injunction over and over again. Chastity is the virtue of the heart. Do not lose courage if you are tempted. Gold is refined in the fire and the Lord purifies us with these weaknesses. If it is for our good and He will deliver us – but in the meantime He wants us to be purified by these tests. Let us be humble and trusting and we will go forward in the Lord. Let us make acts of love for God. It is easy and quick to make such an act – we need only draw breath.
114. Treasure in vessels of clay. Chastity is a “treasure we bear in vessels of clay so that it does not appear that this extraordinary strength comes from us and not from God” (II Corinthians 4,7). To preserve this treasure we must be vigilant and pray. All agree on this point: the Scriptures, the Fathers and the spiritual masters. Pray, pray well and pray always. Prayer is necessary for all grace but more especially for chastity. St. Cyprian writes: “The first and foremost way to strive for chastity is to seek help from above.” St Gregory says that “prayer is the guardian of purity.” St. John Chrysostom tells us that prayer and fasting are like two wings that carry the soul over the storm, increase its fervor and scare off its enemies. No one and nothing, he tells us, is stronger than the person who prays.
We must ask the Lord for chastity and ask for it continually. Be well aware that it is not enough to pray every now and then, make occasional visits to the chapel, say three Hail Marys morning and evening, join in common acts during the day – we must have the very spirit of prayer. It must become a habit – especially when tempted – to seek refuge in the heart of Jesus and let Him respond for us. This is what St. Augustine did – he found refuge in the wounds of His Divine Savior. There will always be temptations but if we hide in the heart of Jesus they will never prevail.
The indispensable means without which it is almost impossible to remain chaste is devotion to Our Blessed Lady. She dispenses all graces – and especially this one. We must place our chastity under her special protection and consecrate it to her; we must repeat over and over again, “Mother most pure, mother most chaste, Virgin of virgins, pray for us!” If we pray, God will grant us the precious gift of life-long chastity.
To preserve chastity we must practice internal and external mortification. The saints and all who wanted to live good Christian lives have always done this. St. Paul says, “I treat my body harshly and I keep it in bondage lest after I have preached to others I myself should be found wanting” (I Corinthians 9,27). It is stupid to treat our flesh gently or imagine that it is not rebellious: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for they are adversaries and thus you may not do what you may want to do” (Galatians 5,17).
Mortify the sense of taste: eat to live and do your duty – do not live to eat. Do not omit what is necessary but practice little acts of mortification. Mortify your eyes: be relaxed but at the same time reserved and mortified. To acquire mastery of the eyes from time to time avoid looking at what is permitted. The saints knew how to see God in a flower but it may be helpful to avoid looking at flowers occasionally. Become accustomed to cold and heat, to what is rough and not smooth. Avoid idleness and keep busy all the time. Work not just out of duty, obedience or poverty but to gain control over your body. Curb pride and vanity through humility. Woe to those who are not humble: “Whoever thinks he is standing should take care he does not fall down” (I Corinthians 10,12). St. Francis de Sales said “Chastity without humility is vanity.”
I feel confident that you will be both sure and tranquil in this area because the Lord will shower an abundance of grace upon you if you live close to Him and use all the means we have discussed.
Missionary Obedience
115. A habit for all. The most excellent of the three vows is obedience. With this vow we offer God even more than we do with poverty and chastity.
Obedience must become a habit for all of us. Think of Jesus’ example: “Be of the same mind as Jesus Christ, who although He was by nature divine did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; He emptied Himself and took the form of a servant, human nature and being human He humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death” (Philippians 2,5-8). “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to carry out His work” (John 4,34); “He who sent me is with me and does not leave me alone because I do always the things that please Him” (John 8,29).
The saints tell us that obedience is the certain road to heaven. St. John Chrysostom calls it “the sure navigation that leads to heaven.” St. Augustine adds that obedience is the guardian of all the other virtues. And St. Thomas affirms that it is always superior to the other virtues because if gives God the best gift: the gift of our will.
Obedience works miracles and if we are obedient we too will work miracles especially in the work of evangelization. It does not matter whether we do much or little – what matters is that we are obedient. Obedience helps destroy our pride and brings us peace of mind. Through obedience we know we are carrying out God’s will. This is not a place for half willed or half obedient individuals.
116. Fundamental virtue. Obedience is an absolute necessity in a religious community and this is even more true in the missions. In the words of our Constitutions, “The fundamental virtue of a missionary congregation is the practical spirit of absolute obedience to one’s superior. Without this we cannot achieve unity of purpose or success in our apostolate.”[3] These lines are taken word for word from the White Fathers’ Rule. Obedience is a synthesis of all the means necessary to become ideal missionaries; obedience not just to the decisions of our superiors but to their desires as well. Most of the problems that arise in the missions trace their origin to failures in obedience. This is the principal and fundamental virtue of our congregation – it should be second nature to us. Like St. Ignatius[4] I would like to see obedience as your defining characteristic.
117. Supernatural Virtue. We must be ready to obey our superior “as if he were the Lord Himself.” It is the supernatural motivation that gives value and merit to obedience. God does not want us to obey for human motives; this would make us no different from the many who obey authority because they must or they expect a reward or they do so out of human respect. We on the other hand must see God in our superiors: “Deus est! [It is God!]”
Keep this firm in mind and never forget it: our obedience must be absolutely based on supernatural motivation. Have faith and go beyond appearances. Woe to the individual who thinks he is obeying a human person! Our obedience will be supernatural to the extent that we are obeying God in the person of our superior. With the spirit of faith it is not difficult to obey any superior or whatever he may order.
118. Universal, prompt, heartfelt and simple. Our Constitutions describe obedience as: universal, prompt and heartfelt. The perfection of obedience is found in the simplicity and generosity that constitute blind obedience. Universal obedience – we must obey everyone making no distinction between one superior and another. Anyone who does not practice this sort of obedience cannot please the Lord and will make no progress on the road to holiness. Universal obedience means making no distinction between the ways a command may be given, between the commands – whether they are small or great, substantive or trivial. This is the spirit I would like you to have. Do not be approximately obedient but scrupulous about every detail – place, time and method. The Lord will see our good will and will reward our obedience; with Him at our side and we will accomplish great things. Something done on a whim will never succeed – the Lord will not bless it.
St. Bernard says the genuinely obedient individual never hesitates and is ready to accept and carry out his superior’s orders. Obedience must be prompt – it must be our concern every hour and every minute. It is not genuine obedience if we hold back and carry out an order when it is convenient. We must obey promptly in everything. Not everything that is good is well done. It is only so when the Lord wills it. We must do not what we want but what we ought – this defines obedience. Anyone who neglects these dispositions is not just lacking in the spirit of obedience, he is lacking the spirit of community.
Besides being prompt obedience must be heartfelt. St. Paul writes in the Epistle to the Romans “We give thanks to God that you have obeyed from the heart all that was passed on to you” (Romans 6,17). If we do not obey from the heart our obedience is imperfect and of little merit. St. Bernard tells us that a cheerful face and gentle words are the worthy sign of obedience. Therefore our obedience should come from the heart and not be something forced upon us.
We must be ready to obey immediately. If we have a problem or something to say we should do so and then obey cheerfully : “The Lord loves a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9,7). A sullen face, word or gesture is unworthy of us.
There are three degrees to the perfection of obedience: to carry out the order given, to will what the superior wills and to accept intellectually whatever he orders. We must be generous: we should not be happy with the first or second degree of perfection – we must go right to the extreme and bend our judgment to the superior’s. This is blind obedience – blind, but it sees a great deal! – it accepts an order with simplicity and carries it out. Then we will make greater progress and achieve greater serenity. Blind obedience does not mean carrying out orders like a robot: we must be wide awake if we are to do what we are commanded in the best possible way. If we understand this we will learn how wise obedience can be. We must examine our practice of obedience often and be determined to strive earnestly for perfection. Whoever obeys blindly will have very good sight indeed – he will see into spiritual things with the very eye of God.
119. Learn obedience. What are the means to learn this sort of obedience? The principal ones are these: first of all – humility. The humble individual knows he can make mistakes and is not attached to his own judgment; even if a superior is mistaken in his command the subject is never mistaken in his obedience. Next, we must see God in our superiors and in their orders. Furthermore we must imitate Our Lord who was obedient even unto death on the cross. Finally we must follow the example of the saints. Obedience is the cunning of the saints.
120. Obedience to the Constitutions. When St. Vincent de Paul gave his congregation a rule he did it with these words: “I give you the rules the Lord inspired me to compose – accept them as coming from the hand of God.” I feel I can say the same thing. I can assure you, God was guiding me. I do not mean in some extraordinary way – but in the ordinary way the Lord was guiding me. We studied and reflected on every word; we prayed over every word; we worked on this text for years and now it represents the will of God. I ask you to receive it in a spirit of faith. We could say that your holiness will depend on how you observe these dispositions. Study and observe them; give the greatest importance to both great and trivial elements. All of this is golden. I so much hope that the observance of these rules will greatly benefit the spirit of our community. We are not in a school but in a family – we must make each other holy. Each of you must be a pillar of the congregation to the extent that others may see an example to be imitated. If we should ever lose the Constitutions each of you should be a living exemplar of what they contain.
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[1] In a letter dated December 8, 1916 Allamano wrote a “Treatise on Poverty.” He describes the meaning of the vow and the virtue as well as how poverty meets the needs of religious lives devoted to the missions. In January 5, 1917 conferences to the male and female missionaries he said: “For some time now I have wanted to provide you with a “short treatise on poverty”. Now after two years work with the help of Canon G. Camisassa here it is. It is subtle and complicated material. It is based on the work of the great theologians, St. Thomas, Suarez, St. Alphonsus and others. We have collected everything that is certain and in our efforts to be specific we have weighed every word. Please receive it as a letter from your superior and therefore from God. May the Lord grant you the light and grace to live the vow and virtue of poverty well. The spirit and well-being of the Congregation depends on this.” The following pages reflect the spirit and substance of that “treatise” even when we do not cite it directly.
[2] In Allamano’s time ascetic theology considered perfect chastity from the perspective of the Kingdom rather than morality. He shared this point of view and spent less time on the theology of chastity – of which he was well aware – and concentrated on the means to preserve chastity.
[3] Allamano is quoting article 37 of the Male Missionaries’ Constitutions (1909) and article 45 of the Female Missionaries’ Constitutions (1913).
[4] Allamano took St. Ignatius’ letter to Jesuits on the subject of obedience and addressed it to Consolata Missionaries. He wanted its spirit and contents to be their defining characteristic. In the Church’s recent thought, obedience and dialogue involve the total openness to obedience that Allamano refers to as “the perfection of obedience” or “blind obedience.” We have kept his terminology even though it is no longer in use; we think it better expresses the depth of his thought.